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Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737), also known as Stradivarius, fashioned two of his most famous violins, the “Habeneck” and the “Muntz,” in his early 90s. Noah Webster (1758–1843) published his two-volume American Dictionary of the English Language at age 70. Galileo (1564–1642) published his masterpiece, Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences, at age 74. Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York City at age 91. At age 84, Agatha Christie (1890–1976) oversaw production of the movie Murder on the Orient Express, based on her novel of the same name. Golda Meir (1898–1978) served as prime minister of Israel from age 70 to age 76. Peter F. Drucker (1909–2005) wrote Managing in Turbulent Times at age 71 and Management Challenges for the 21st Century at age 89.

Need we produce more evidence that human potential does not stop at some arbitrary age? Neither does it cease after a seemingly disabling event. The energy and creativity God has built into the human being seems boundless for those with vision. Unfortunately, many seem to lack that vision—and sometimes we can understand why. Something so drastic, so debilitating, so discouraging, happens that we feel life surely must be over. We may survive, but we feel we will not live. That is how the prophet Joel felt after his homeland of Israel was decimated by swarms of locusts.

The devastation of the locusts was so dramatic that it appeared the land would never recover (Joel 2:1–12). On top of that, the locusts seem to be a harbinger of human invaders sent by God to judge Israel. How would Joel, the people,

and the land ever recover from years of ravaging and destruction? The answer is simple: with God’s help. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten,” God told His prophet (2:25). Neither age, nor circumstances, nor resources are a limitation for God. It is not what we have that is important, but Who we have.

Perhaps you think the future looks dim or nonexistent. Remember that you, and your future, are guarded by God. Whatever you think you have lost in the past is nothing compared to what you can gain, with His help, in the days to come.

GOD’S PROMISE: Nothing we lose is as valuable

as what He can restore.

WHEN THE BEST IS YET TO COMEJOEL 2:25

T he Promises of God

A teaching letter encouraging believersto develop a clear mind and a warm heart

www.kenboa.org

God of grace, Your Word often convicts me about things that need to be changed; yet I often resist it, supposing that others need this message more than I do. I am often tempted to focus my attention on the errors and shortcomings of others because these are so easy to spot, and it costs me nothing to observe. But You have made it clear that I must first examine my thoughts and actions before criticizing others. Like the psalmist David, I ask You to search me and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23–24). I thank You that when I invite the Spirit to search my heart to reveal any areas that are displeasing to You, Your conviction comes not in generalities but in specifics. You graciously reveal the things I need to deal with one at a time, and You give me the power to respond in obedience.

SEARCH ME AND KNOW MY HEART

www.kenboa.org

AUGUST 2018

REFLECTIONSReflections on God’s

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YHWH

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Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11)

After outlining in Deuteronomy 28 a series of blessings that could be expected for obedience and curses for disobedience, the Lord communicated His passion for His people: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

If God consistently reveals such a passion for our highest good, why do we so often struggle with seeking Him and the rewards He offers? If the Scriptures have so much to say about rewards, why is so little attention given to this topic?

A DAY OF RECKONING

Incentives have always been part of the world of business. Without a motivational system, workers are inclined to get by with minimum levels of effort and performance. The Bible recognizes the importance of motivation and rewards and has a surprising amount to say about this subject. Paul’s words to the Corinthian church are a central passage in this regard: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

There is going to be a day of reckoning. The Lord who gives great gifts will also return to settle accounts (see Matthew 25:19). This is

going to be a performance review that will make every other performance review you’ve ever received seem inconsequential. We may be able to lip-sync our way through life, but we’ll all sing a cappella in front of God. This should serve as a wake-up call for complacent Christians. We must not allow ourselves to be seduced by the things this world deems important. Most of what the world tells us to pursue is related to the opinions of others, but at the judgment seat of Christ, their opinions will be irrelevant. Only His opinion will matter.

The Scriptures teach that it is not mercenary to be motivated by reward; instead, Jesus encouraged us to long to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21, 23). The New Testament is replete with invitations to pursue God’s rewards, affirming that they will prove to be more than worth the cost. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

The fact that God will reward us for faithful responses to opportunities should have some motivational impact on the way we live. It clearly affected the manner in which godly people in Scripture led their lives. C. S. Lewis argued in his marvelous sermon “The Weight of Glory” that our problem is not that we want too much but that we settle for too little:

GOD’S COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Many people perceive God as a cosmic Scrooge who enjoys making people squirm and reluctantly dispenses rewards for good behavior. But the biblical portrait of God in both Testaments is quite the opposite. The Scriptures consistently present God as the lover of our souls who delights in rewarding us with His joy. One of His greatest promises is found in Jeremiah 29:10–14:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

For decades Jeremiah had been warning his rebellious fellow citizens about the impending judgment that the Lord would bring upon them because of their idolatry and corruption. Indeed, by the time he wrote the words of this passage, many of them had already been deported into Babylon. But the Lord encouraged them with this promise that, after the 70-year captivity had been completed, He would restore them to their own land.

God has plans for us in spite of our present circumstances. We work in an imperfect

workplace; thus, our work is imperfect. No matter how ideally suited for your present job you may be, you know that pain of unrealized potential, lost opportunity, and the frustration borne of a lack of recognition. Even in the best work environments, there exists something of politics, laziness, or gossip.

We also rest in an imperfect world, thus our rest is imperfect, fitful, and rare. But God’s heaven seamlessly joins together work and rest, fulfillment and contentment, exhilaration and relaxation. No worries invade heaven, only an abiding sense of peace. No tension or fatigue, only harmony and laughter. This is your inheritance in the Lord. This is the reward God promises to His children.

God longs to bless and reward His people, but it is essential that they be willing to turn to him and repent of their unfaithfulness and disobedience. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). We serve a God who “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God actually enjoys bestowing benefits on those who turn to Him in dependence and trust, and He hates the judgment that sin and rebellion entail:

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” declares the Sovereign Lord. “Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23)

Say to them, “‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn!

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.1

In comparison to what God wants to give us, the best this world can offer is toys, trinkets, and tinsel. Worse, the things with which we most occupy ourselves frequently turn out to be the equivalent of mud pies.

It’s not that our businesses are bad. There is nothing wrong with seeking to run a profitable enterprise. But at the end of the day, we don’t work to make money. We work in the marketplace because it provides us an arena of influence and a context for ministry. As we engage our world and perform our work with skill, excellence, and care, God sets up divine appointments for us to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and brighten a dark world.

1 C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), 94–95.

REFLECTIONS THE TEACHING LETTER OF DR. KENNETH BOAOne Piedmont Center | Suite 130 | Atlanta, Georgia 30305 | kenboa.org

THE STAGGERING NATURE OF HIS PROMISESREWARDS, PART TWO

“. . . it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.” —C. S. Lewis